1

out on the pond
in the little
green boat
i reach out for
your hand

McKenna Beals (5)

This tanka is really cute – it reminds me a lot of a particular scene in the Studio Ghibli film, Ponyo, where the main characters are riding around on a little toy boat that was magically made bigger for them to ride in, and they’re sailing around their world looking for the main boy’s mom. It feels both very nostalgic and simultaneously new, as I know this was written in response to one of my own tanka. It was very sweet, and I really appreciated the thoughts left up to imagination to finish what this tanka is about. Who’s reaching, where are they- why are they reaching out? So many stories in that little green boat. Skylyr Choe, Spring 2024

2

my love
is no secret
all i want
is to be
with you

McKenna Beals (3)

3

a song every
Swiftie knows
that blank space
waiting for
your name

Randy Brooks (4)

4

taking off the new dress
like a flickering candle
her heart
wavers
another rain check

Skylyr Choe (7)

5

turning twenty
mom’s arms
around me
as we doze off
to the tv

Eden Niebrugge (5)

I’m not much for large social gatherings or parties, especially for myself, because it takes a lot of time and effort to plan, and my expectations usually are not met to the extent that I want them to. I’m quite a perfectionist, so expecting things to go as planned when there are lots of people involved is difficult. I’ve spent many birthdays with just my grandparents and family of five and been perfectly content, so this haiku is very relatable. I’m close with my mom and it sounds very nice to spend a birthday just hanging out with her. Super sweet and nice to know that Eden was inspired by my poem! Leah Flint, Spring 2024

6

under a blanket
in the boiling pot
that is my room
I find myself feeling
cold

Josh Lowe (3)

7

dressed in black,
an old boy sits
and can’t understand
why his owner
won’t wake up

Skylyr Choe (6)

I really enjoyed this tanka even though it's very sad to me. I like the fact that it starts out with "dressed in black" because it kind of sets that tone of a funeral at the very beginning without ever actually saying it, but in reality, it's not that the dog would be dressed in black. It actually seems like a description of the dog to me. Also, I enjoyed it even more so when Eden started talking about how dogs have a similar grieving process as humans, and it actually allows you to relate to that dog in a way. If you've lost someone then you know what they're going through. I think it captures that moment perfectly. McKenna Beals, Spring 2024

8

the smile stains my memory
and bleeds into
every day
I try my best to shield myself
but it finds me anyway

Josh Lowe (4)

This poem could be interpreted more lightly, but I see it as a person dealing with grief after a breakup. I imagine this person envisioning their ex-lover's smile — imprinted into their brain and they can’t stop thinking about it. They try their hardest not to think about it and keep their thoughts off this person, but their smile haunts their thoughts. I’ve dealt with a similar situation where no matter how hard I tried not to think of someone, every time I caught myself happy or laughing or simply not thinking about it, my brain would flip back to it and give me a pit in my stomach. Leah Flint, Spring 2024

10

graduates
don’t know where
we are going
but we’ll know when
we get there

Randy Brooks (3)

11

little girl on
the family’s photo wall
unhappier each year
until her photos finally
disappear

Skylyr Choe (5)

12

10th grade health class
the boys cry murder
about metaphorical menstruation
I curl into myself and
breathe through my cramps

Skylyr Choe (4)

13

last night
I watched The Notebook
and I couldn’t stop the tears
so why is it so hard
to cry at a funeral

Josh Lowe (5)

14

chock-full of
nutrients, vitamins, minerals
so why don’t these superfoods
make me feel so
super

Skylyr Choe (3)

15

sidewalk chalk
running down the driveway
bleeds away in a haze
as my dad washes
his new car

Skylyr Choe (5)

Maybe this is silly, but I like this one because it reminds me of my earlier sidewalk chalk tanka so much! The first line is the same as mine, and the second line also mentions the driveway just like mine. But this one resolves a little less picture-perfect, as the sidewalk chalk is destroyed. I love how it presents another experience with sidewalk chalk—the disappointment of watching your hard work be washed away. Sophie Nicholson, Spring 2024

16

sometimes
my life is like a movie
an unremarkable movie
that i’m watching
in the dark

Josh Lowe (6)

I like this tanka after it was read aloud. It gave it a more playful tone rather than how I originally read it which I liked a lot better. It's also very matter of fact, like my life is like a movie sometimes, but it's for sure an unremarkable movie. It actually reminds me of when I'm watching TikTok videos and I'm watching probably the dumbest videos with no real substance, but I'm just sitting there in the dark watching it anyways. I also think that a lot of people can relate to the humanness of the tanka, and I think Skylyr commented on this as well in class. Also, the repetition was mentioned, and I like that as well. It's giving a voice behind it that I really enjoy. McKenna Beals, Spring 2024

I love the repetition of the second and third lines – there is a quiet sort of insistence there that helps to set up the switch from what may normally come off as an exciting, min-character moment of, “Oh, hey, I’m in a movie!” to this sort of bleak, more muted experience that the rest of the tanka helps to elaborate on further. It feels like this moment is just meant to comment on how we sometimes just turn things on to drown out everything else we have going on, and how as people we sometimes just float by in order to get by, and I appreciate how this tanka elaborates on that in a creative way. Skylyr Choe, Spring 2024

17

honey bee
face plants in pollen
the way
I breathe
in love

Randy Brooks (8)

I love how simple and sweet this tanka is. The imagery of the honey bee is so strong, and its connection to love, although a little ambiguous, paints such a vivid picture. It makes me think of the way honeybees smother themselves in flowers, and how people sometimes do that in relationships. Especially at the beginning of a relationship, it’s common to feel that all-consuming need to be near your loved one. Sophie Nicholson, Spring 2024

18

sitting at the bar
as a man drones to my left
rubbing alcohol
would taste better
than his words

Skylyr Choe (7)